So lately I’ve had to really focus on my practice of slowing down in a couple areas in my life. My tendency is to stretch myself thin when it comes to my time and commitments and to push hard when it comes to fitness (go hard or go home, right?). I’m the girl who has had simultaneous jobs/careers, volunteer activities and hobbies my entire life. I like running marathons and doing boot camps. But the truth is, I know that this has not always benefited me.

One area I’ve been more discerning in is project collaboration. It’s really easy, especially when in the early stages of a business, to take on a lot of projects for exposure and profile building. It can be really great also to get to work with people and organizations from whom you can learn and grow. The problem comes when you exceed your bandwidth and take on too many things. This ends up being counterproductive because when either you don’t experience a return on the effort (aka benefit) and/or don’t have the time or energy to put your best into each project. To me, this is one of the worst feelings – when I don’t feel like I’m giving 100% because I’m either overcommitted or uninterested in the work. So, I’m working on being discerning about what I get involved with rather than taking on anything and everything just because it adds to my résumé.

The second area is with my fitness regimen. Since my most recent injury last July {lateral meniscus tear}, I’ve had a lot of ups and downs. Not only has it impacted what I can do for workouts, but I’ve had stretches when walking down the stairs is difficult. As someone who prefers to allow my body to heal itself, or adjust accordingly, I’ve been trying to avoid surgery through physical therapy, my anti-inflammatory diet and workout modifications. When this wasn’t all that successful last year, and I came back from my Bangladesh/India trip, I ended up getting a cortisone injection. Needless to say, my knee felt great for the past 6 months… until it didn’t. I had ramped my workouts back up, with lots of squatting, twisting and other motions that my knee hasn’t been as much a fan of as me. So, I’ve now pulled back on my higher impact workouts and am adding back in yoga and Pilates.

This morning at yoga class I realized how I’ve grown not only by allowing myself to slow down but to accept my challenges – one of which is lack of flexibility. I used to try and power through yoga poses so ungracefully (still have my moments) rather than use the assist of blocks, thinking they made me less of a yogi. In truth, they help you to actually get the poses in proper alignment and slowly (as it should be) improve with practice. It’s my competitive nature and really the habit we all have to want to get to the end result without taking the time needed to make the journey. We all want what we want and want it now. Instant gratification. But life doesn’t, and shouldn’t, unfold that way… it’s really all about the journey and not the end destination. We all know that our time on earth will end some day – that’s a given. Our purpose lies in what we do, how we grow and how we live the days in between.

All of this is to say that we need to check in with ourselves every once and a while and evaluate whether we are doing things for the right reasons and in our best interests. In many cases, this may mean slowing down so that you can figure out what you really need with respect to your time, your body and your overall wellbeing.

Now, time for some tasty tacos: Spicy Sweet Potato and Black Bean With Lime-Cilantro Yogurt. They’re easy, quick, filling, and versatile. And while there are many ways to go about building the perfect one, few of them tend to be health-conscious. This vegetarian version packs in vitamins, fiber, protein, and a ton of flavor. Serve it on any type of tortilla or leafy green wrap, or make it into taco salad.

Note: For NYC locals, I am addicted to Anita’s Creamline Coconut Yogurt – it’s a cross between Greek yogurt and sour cream, but without the dairy. I get it at the Whole Foods in Union Square. {and no, they didn’t ask or pay me to say that}